Valentino Rossi Claims Pole! | Mugello MotoGP Qualifying Results

2016 Mugello MotoGP Qualifying Results

Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi

Amid a sea of yellow, Valentino Rossi pleased his fellow Italians after claiming pole position Saturday for 2016 Mugello MotoGP, round six of 18. This was the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 pilot’s second pole of 2016; his first arrived at Jerez, where Rossi earned his first and only win so far this season.

Donning an AGV helmet with typical Mugello livery – this year’s lid symbolizing how the Tuscan hills turn yellow during the Italian Grand Prix – the 37-year-old Rossi posted a best lap of 1:46.504 during the final moments of the 15-minute qualifying session.

Rossi claimed pole by 0.094 of a second ahead of Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Vinales, who joins the nine-time World Champion on the factory Yamaha team next year. Taking the final front-row starting position was Friday Free Practice leader, Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone, who will fill the empty Suzuki GSX-RR seat in 2017.

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“I‘m very, very happy because it has been a long time since I last had pole here in Mugello, in the last years I was always struggling a lot. From Free Practice this afternoon we made a good step with the bike and I had a good pace,” Valentino Rossi says. “Qualifying is always difficult, but we followed the right strategy in the right moment of qualifying and I am very happy to start from first position, first of all for all the fans, but especially here it‘s so important that I ride in front.”

Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales

This was Rossi’s first pole at Mugello since 2008 – the last season he won at the Tuscan MotoGP circuit. It should be noted that for the past eight races when Rossi claimed pole position, he also claimed the wins. As for Vinales, this was his third-front row start since joining MotoGP in 2015.

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